Christmas tree farms busy for the holiday season

The holiday season has arrived, and that means Christmas tree sellers are open for business. And this year marks the reopening of a longtime Christmas tree farm in Boonsboro that closed about three years ago.

The South Mountain Plantation Christmas tree farm has been reborn as the South Mountain MicroFARM under the new ownership of Mark and Billie Jo Sellers of Boonsboro and their 29-year old son, Levi.

After originally owning a Buffalo farm in Boonsboro 13 years ago, Billie Jo Sellers, 54, said they were looking for another farm. They purchased the Christmas tree farm from its previous owners, Gary Cline and his family.

"We wanted to get back into farming, so they told us this was for sale," she said. "We came and looked at it, fell in love with the view, fell in love with the trees, and we've always been a family that loves Christmas."

The couple purchased the farm in October of 2014 but were unable to get it open in time for Christmas.

In addition to offering trees for sale, the couple said they try to make it an experience for families to pick their own.

Besides keeping the traditions that were already in place, they added a little more Christmas flair, including having bonfires, s'mores, sleigh hayrides and a visit from Santa Claus on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

"We're trying to create ... not just a tree-cutting experience but a happy family memory," Billie Jo Sellers said.

The farm, which reopened on Black Friday, had already sold up to 200 trees by Wednesday, the Sellers said.

As first-timers, they were surprised at how quickly families are ready to go pick up trees after Thanksgiving.

"The weekend was real good, and then Sunday it got pretty heavy with rain, but the turnout was pretty good, even with the rain," said Mark Sellers, 54.

"It's a family tradition that the Friday after Thanksgiving, or that weekend, they get the tree and get it put up before the kids go back to school," he said.

The Black Friday rush also kept Christmas tree farms busy throughout the Tri-State area.

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